Godolphin's seven-time Group 1 winner and defending champion Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) heads a stellar international entry for Qatar's $2,500,000 H.H. Amir Trophy, which is scheduled to be run over 2,400 metres at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha on Saturday, February 15.
The seven-year-old Rebel's Romance could face up to five other top-level winners if attempting to repeat last year's impressive victory in Qatar's most valuable Thoroughbred contest, with a total of 69 entries from eight different countries being received.
The William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), last seen filling the runner-up spot in the G1 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin in December, is another previous Group 1 winner in contention, along with Alban de Mieulle's local contender Simca Mille (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), who won the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin when trained in France by Stephane Wattel. The G1 Hopeful Stakes winner Killer Ability (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) leads the potential Japanese challenge, while his compatriot, Satono Glanz (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}), could attempt to improve on his third-place finish in last year's renewal.
Elsewhere on the card, possible runners in the $500,000 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup include the multiple Group/Grade 2 winners Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), while Charlie Appleby, the trainer of both Rebel's Romance and Ottoman Fleet, also has a strong hand in the $400,000 Al Rayyan Mile with Age Of Gold (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Aomori City (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup and Al Rayyan Mile are both staged as local Group 2 races.
The other big race at the meeting for Thoroughbreds is the $400,000 Dukhan Sprint, which is run as a local Group 3. The entries include Wathnan Racing's talented trio of Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), Dark Trooper (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Rogue Lightning (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), while Kevin Ryan's Washington Heights (GB) (Washington DC {Ire}) and the Stuart Williams-trained Quinault (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) are others who could make the trip from Britain.
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